Once Shunned

by Blake Pierce

  A fierce pain stabbed through her back.

  The ice pick!

  Riled writhed and rolled to one side, only to realize that she could no longer breathe.

  The pain was overwhelming.

  In another instant Niles Cranston had straddled her, the ice pick still clutched in his fist.

  He was aiming it toward her ear.

  Frantically, Riley twisted her head, trying to keep him from getting a clear thrust.

  But she was weakening, and the world was losing focus …

  It’s hopeless.

  Riley was certain she was going to die.

  Then a shot rang out.

  And everything went black.

  CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

  As Riley felt herself waking up, she strained for a moment to remember …

  Where am I?

  The nightmare she’d been through seemed as though it had happened just moments ago.

  First there had been the mad tangle of bodies when she’d thrown herself at both Niles Cranston and his intended victim, then the terrible pain as the ice pick plunged between her ribs, then her certainty that she was going to die, and then the sound of a gunshot …

  And then?

  Now she heard the sound of a familiar voice …

  “Mom …”

  She opened her eyes and saw April standing in front of her, smiling.

  Oh, yes, she realized.

  I’m home again.

  Now she remembered everything much more clearly.

  The gunshot had been from Bill’s pistol. He’d shot Niles Cranston a split second before he could plunge the ice pick into Riley’s ear.

  The next day, when she’d awakened in a hospital bed in D.C., Bill and Jenn had told Riley what all had happened after she’d lost consciousness.

  Bill had aimed squarely at the center of Niles’s chest, and Niles had died within seconds. Then Riley had been flown to the hospital by an emergency helicopter. Fortunately, the ice pick hadn’t hit her heart or any arteries, so she was soon on the mend, and she was allowed to go home three days later.

  And here she was right now, looking into her daughter’s eyes …

  Such a beautiful sight.

  Life certainly did seem to be especially precious right now.

  She was still bandaged, but was no longer restricted to her bed. In fact, she was comfortably propped up on the sofa in her family room, where she had dozed off for a little while. Her family had been seeing to her every need, and even spoiling her more than a little.

  April stroked her cheek and said, “Mom, I’m sorry to wake you, but Blaine’s here.”

  Riley almost laughed, but quickly remembered how much it still hurt to do that.

  “Again?” she said hoarsely.

  Actually, it still hurt to even talk.

  “Again,” April said, chuckling. “I figured you’d want to see him.”

  Riley smiled and nodded. Blaine had spent many hours at her bedside in the hospital. And since she’d been home, he’d stopped by every day.

  April escorted Blaine into the family room. He pulled up a chair next to the sofa and sat down, then took her hand gently and said …

  “Wow, you’re looking better all the time. The color has returned to your face. You look more and more like your old self.”

  “Blaine, I’m doing fine,” she said. “You don’t have to keep coming around all the time.”

  “Yes, I do,” Blaine said.

  His smile faded, and a look of sadness crossed his face.

  He said, “I guess I haven’t told you—while you were in the hospital, I was desperately afraid of losing you.”

  Riley felt a twinge of sadness too.

  She was sorry to have caused so much worry to the people she loved.

  “Oh, I’m tough, Blaine. I’ve been through worse. It’s just taking me a little longer this time to get back on my feet. I should be able to go back to work in another week.”

  Blaine’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open a little.

  “Back to work?” he said.

  Riley was disturbed by his obvious disappointment. Hadn’t he realized that she’d want to get back to work as soon as she possibly could?

  Blaine lowered his eyes and said …

  “Riley, I’ve got to be truthful. This has been …”

  His voice faded away, but Riley had a feeling she understood at least some of what he wanted to say …

  It’s been hard.

  Maybe too hard.

  Blaine had been supportive of her career for quite some time. He had even acted courageously once when her job had put him and her family in terrible danger. But Riley knew that being in a relationship with a BAU agent wasn’t easy for him. Had he finally reached his breaking point?

  Riley felt a lump in her throat as she wondered …

  Can we go on like this?

  She squeezed his hand and said, “I guess we’ve got some things we need to talk about.”

  “Yeah,” Blaine said, his own voice thick with emotion. “Not right now, though. Sometime soon.”

  Riley’s cell phone rang. She saw that it was on the coffee table and picked it up to see who was calling.

  “It’s Bill,” she told Blaine.

  Blaine nodded and said, “I’ll go and let you talk.”

  Riley wanted to protest and tell him she wouldn’t talk long, and that he should stay awhile longer, but …

  No, it’s best this way.

  Blaine got up and headed for the front door, and Riley answered the phone.

  “I’m just checking in,” Bill said.

  “You’ve been doing that a lot,” Riley said.

  In fact, Bill had been spending almost as much time with her as Blaine.

  Bill said, “Yeah, well. You’re kind of stuck with me. It’s a partner thing, you know.”

  Riley smiled. It was nice to have a man in her life who was simply a friend. And right now, “partner” sounded like a very nice word.

  Riley said, “I’m doing great, but I’m tired of lying around. Tell me you’ve got a new case for us to work on.”

  Bill laughed.

  “Riley, I hate to remind you, but you’re on leave. You need some time to get better.”

  Riley sighed and said, “So people keep telling me.”

  “Anyway, I just got another call from Meredith. He keeps asking how you’re doing.”

  Riley said, “I hope you told him I’m as ornery as ever.”

  “Oh, he knows that already,” Bill said with a chuckle.

  Riley was touched by Meredith’s concern. He’d actually come to the hospital to visit her and congratulate her on a job well done. For once, he wasn’t angry with how Riley and her team had conducted themselves. After all, despite testing his patience a good bit, they’d done things by the book this time—or very nearly so.

  Then Bill added …

  “Oh, and get this. I also got a call from Carl Walder. He sends you his best wishes. He says you did a great job and hopes you’ll be back at work soon. I think maybe he’s got a commendation in mind for you.”

  Riley was truly surprised now.

  “I must be dreaming,” she said.

  “Weird, huh? Well, you sound tired, so I’ll let you get some more rest.”

  Riley thanked him and ended the phone call.

  She lay there alone in the family room thinking about that uncomfortable visit from Blaine. She wondered—what might it take to keep their relationship together? Should she pursue some other line of work—private investigation, maybe?

  No, she thought. I’m a BAU agent. I can’t be anything else.

  And it came at a price.

  Life had certainly not worked out the way she’d expected many years go.

  She found herself remembering when she was young and had fallen so madly in love with Ryan Paige, and all the bright hopes she’d had for their relationship. It made her sad that it had ended so badly. While Ryan certainly deserved his share of the blam
e for the failure of her marriage, she had to wonder how much of a toll her work had taken on things between them.

  And what was going to become of Ryan now?

  She still cared about him enough to worry about him. He’d called her once when she’d been in the hospital, but he’d sounded terrible—worse even than she’d felt.

  Is he going to be OK? she wondered.

  She hoped he could find his way out of the mess he’d made out of his life.

  Her musings were interrupted when Gabriela, Jilly, and April came into the family room with a plate full of treats. She spent a little while eating and chatting with them and trying not to hurt herself by laughing at their jokes. But she tired quickly and soon excused herself to go upstairs to her bedroom.

  As she walked into the room, she saw a small square package sitting on her bed.

  She remembered April telling her that something had arrived for her from Kevin Bayle, and she had told April to leave it in her room. Now she picked up the package and walked over to her desk, wondering what she’d find inside.

  As soon as she’d gotten home, she’d called both Kevin and Wesley to thank them for all the help they’d given her. Those conversations had been predictably brief and laconic. Neither Kevin nor Wesley was much of a talker. But Kevin had mentioned sending her a get-well present.

  When she unwrapped the package with eager fingers, she was surprised at what she found inside …

  A gyroscope!

  Seeing the little toy made her feel happy. She wasn’t sure why.

  She threaded the string into the hole in the gyroscope’s axis, wound the string carefully, then pulled it to send the wheels spinning on the top of her desk.

  She was surprised to feel a pleasant calmness settle over her.

  A memory also came back of the gyroscope she’d played with as a little girl.

  Now she realized—she’d used that fascinating toy to take her mind off of the miseries of her own troubled childhood, especially her father’s emotional cruelty and verbal abuse. How would she have gotten through those times without that magical toy?

  Might this new gyroscope offer her similar comfort in times to come?

  If so, what did that say about her?

  She remembered something Niles Cranston had said to her during their fatal confrontation.

  “You can’t live the life you’ve lived without gathering your share of wounds—both inside and out.”

  It was true, of course.

  But what other life could she expect to live?

  Normality just didn’t seem to be in the cards for her.

  She also remembered Kevin telling her that she was hardly “neurotypical,” that her experience of the world was so different from everybody else’s that she wasn’t even aware of it, that she took it for granted.

  She was like a swimming shark, Kevin had said …

  “You never stand still, Riley Paige. You don’t even think about standing still.”

  The gyroscope slowed and toppled over onto the desktop. She picked it up and threaded the string through its eye again, eager to watch it spin some more.

  She wondered—what else did she still have to learn about herself?

  Of all the mysteries she’d had to face and solve, it now occurred to her that perhaps the greatest mystery of all was her own mind.

  NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

  ONCE MISSED

  (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 16)

  “A masterpiece of thriller and mystery! The author did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side that is so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”

  --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone)

  ONCE MISSED is book #16 in the bestselling Riley Paige mystery series, which begins with the #1 bestseller ONCE GONE (Book #1)—a free download with over 1,000 five star reviews!

  A serial killer is striking seemingly at random, first killing a man in his 50s, then a woman in her 50s. The only thing that links them is the lone souvenir he took: a dining chair.

  What is the meaning? Are the murders random after all?

  FBI Special Agent Riley Paige must fend off her own demons and her own dysfunctional family life as she races against time to enter the mind of a diabolical killer who is sure to strike again.

  Will she stop him in time?

  An action-packed psychological suspense thriller with heart-pounding suspense, ONCE MISSED is book #16 in a riveting series—with a beloved character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

  ONCE MISSED

  (A Riley Paige Mystery—Book 16)

  Did you know that I've written multiple novels in the mystery genre? If you haven't read all my series, click the image below to download a series starter!

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes fifteen books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising three books (and counting); and of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books (and counting).

  ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1), are each available as a free download on Kobo!

  An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)

  THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)

  THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)

  CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  NEXT DOOR (Book #1)

  A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)

  CUL DE SAC (Book #3)

  KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES

  IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)

  IF SHE SAW (Book #2)

  THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES

  WATCHING (Book #1)

  WAITING (Book #2)

  LURING (Book #3)

  RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES

  ONCE GONE (Book #1)

  ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)

  ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)

  ONCE LURED (Book #4)

  ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)

  ONCE PINED (Book #6)

  ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)

  ONCE COLD (Book #8)

  ONCE STALKED (Book #9)

  ONCE LOST (Book #10)

  ONCE BURIED (Book #11)

  ONCE BOUND (Book #12)

  ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)

  ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)

  ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)

  MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES

  BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)

  BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)

  BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)

  BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)

  BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)

  BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)

  BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)

  BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)

  BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)

  BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)

  AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES

  CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)

  CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)

  CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)

  CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)

  CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)

  CAUS
E TO DREAD (Book #6)

  KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES

  A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)

  A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)

  A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

  A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

  A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)